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I’ve always heard good things about scissor switch keyboards. However, I’d never had the chance to try one before now. I went straight from membrane keyboards to mechanical ones. I skipped right over rubber domes and scissors switches. So, I was excited to try my first scissor switch keyboard as a way to start off the “Budget Bonanza” for my blog. I picked the CHERRY Stream Keyboard as I saw good reviews online from both users and enthusiasts. Let’s dive right in and see if this keyboard is worth getting.

CHERRY Stream Keyboard: At a Glance

Keyboard	CHERRY Stream Keyboard
Price	$29.99
Tier	Budget
Switches	Scissor Switch/Membrane
Keycap Profile	Low Profile OEM
Keycap Material	Plastic (Unknown Type)
Interface	USB-A Hardwired
Layout	USA ANSI
Keyboard Type	Membrane
Hot-Swappable?	N/A

CHERRY Stream Keyboard: My Thoughts

For what it’s worth, this is objectively a pretty nice keyboard. That doesn’t mean I liked it, though. Let’s examine my thoughts in depth and see what the best and worst parts of this keyboard are.

Price

Scissor switch keyboards are a premium type of budget keyboard, which sounds like an oxymoron. The easiest way to understand scissor switch keyboards is that they are the best of the worst. They are still in the worst tier of mechanics with modifications to the original format that make them slightly less crappy. Why am I telling you this? I’m telling you because I need you to understand why this keyboard retails for so much more than a standard membrane keyboard despite functionally using almost the exact same mechanics.

For the price, I would say that I could probably get a more pleasing budget mechanical keyboard. However, within the scissor-switch family, it is still a very affordable keyboard. Additionally, this is technically a specialty keyboard. Scissor switches are not a standard mechanism for keyboards. If you need or want a scissor-switch keyboard, your options are fairly limited. For the specific use case, I would say the $29.99 price point is more than a fair price.

Construction

Considering the low price of the keyboard compared to others of this quality, this is a beautifully constructed keyboard. It’s a low-profile keyboard. So, it is really thin, but it doesn’t feel cheap at all. Despite being a low-profile, ultra-thin keyboard, it’s got a good weight in the hand. The frame is plastic, but it feels pretty heavy. Overall, the keyboard feels like a relatively good quality keyboard, which is unusual at this price point.

Keycaps

The keycaps are low-profile, plastic ones. The legends are printed with white ink, which makes them easy to read. I do worry about the wear and tear on the legends if I were to use this keyboard as my main keyboard for any length of time, as the legend printing doesn’t appear to be particularly high-quality. I’m not sure what kind of plastic the keycaps are made of. They don’t feel like PBT or ABS, but plastic can have all sorts of feels. So, I wouldn’t rule ABS out. At this price point, it would be unusual for the keycaps to be made with PBT. I will say the keycaps feel really flimsy compared to the rest of the keyboard.

Keyboard Mechanics

The keyboard uses scissor switches, which is a type of membrane mechanic that makes the membrane easier to depress. The scissor switches also improve the keyboard’s overall lifespan. The listed specifications do not say how many keypresses the keyboard could withstand.

Problems I Encountered When Using the CHERRY Stream Keyboard

So, the first problem I have with this keyboard is the weight of the keys. Scissor switches reduce the actuation force of a standard membrane keyboard, allowing the keys to register with less force than a silicone membrane alone or rubber dome. However, I did find that these switches are heavy compared to what I’m used to with mechanical keyboards. After about thirty minutes of heavy use, either writing or gaming, I find that my fingers start to ache, and I need to take a break.Additionally, I think this keyboard feels mushy, which is a problem that most membrane keyboards face. Don’t get me wrong. For what it’s worth, this is a very nice keyboard. It’s just solidly “not for me.”Finally, I did find that I had trouble actuating the keys. Ghosting was a big issue I had. This was mostly notable when I was playing games that required twitch reflexes. Often it would require multiple keypresses to get my clicks registered. Thankfully, I’ve got a lot of experience with less-than-optimal gameplay environments. So, it didn’t affect my gaming sessions much more than being a nuisance. However, it’s still worth thinking about if you plan to play a lot of games. The keyboard seems to struggle to register rapid, successive actuations.